Majestic Thoughts

I am still alive...

2007-08-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

I swear. I just forgot about this little piece of mine on the web.

It's a bit late, so no new reviews as of yet, but I've been in a funk of wanting to do something creative and... well, worthwhile. I used to write reviews, most frequently on Digital Press when they had blogging facilities on the site, but since I've been lagging, and for that I apologize.

Look for at least a few new reviews coming within the next few days! See ya soon!

Puzzlers on the PSP

2006-11-27T02:10:00.000-08:00

I love my puzzle games (I've said that before, haven't I?), and just recently I discovered one that I never knew existed. Partially because, for some odd reason, the store I work at (which shall remain anonymous) didn't have them out on the shelf to be discovered. Which sucks... because this one is one of those niche gems that the mainstream public may never get, or see, or even fully understand the concept behind, but it's just as well; let the real gamers find it and love it.

And here is that game, complete with over-elaborate opening and funny name:

Every Extend Extra (PSP, developed by Q? Entertainment, released 11/7/06 in the US, rated E-10+)

Every Extend Extra, or EEE as we'll call it from here on out (because the name's a little too damn long), is what I would call a "puzzle-shooter": in order to advance in the game, the player has to blow up their own craft and take as many other objects down with it causing as long a chain as possible. The longer the chain, the larger the score, the larger the score, the larger the potential score because some enemies drop bonus... let's call them crystals... that can be racked up to an even bigger score. Mini-bosses will pop up from time to time, and so will full on, full-fledged bosses, which can only be defeated by racking up as big a chain as possible and connecting it to them.

Sound simple?

If the shoulder buttons of the PSP are held as you charge up your blast (yup, you can charge up your blast for a bigger explosion radius) you can extend your blasting space. And the various bosses can fire individual shots at you. And you can collect crystals after you destroy certain enemies that can speed up the action so more enemies can get on the screen for blowing up.

For all of the action that goes on in the game, it never, at least on my end, feels frantic... the screen can get filled up with baddies, and a good explosion can get rid of a lot of them, combined with the clock running it should be more intense than it is. That might be the biggest flaw with the game, actually; the lack of a "problem" will turn off a lot of people, and people will have a hard time getting into it if it does interest them. It doesn't have that issue that needs to be dealt with, it doesn't have that ultimate bad guy, there is no "gotta save the world gotta save the world DAMMIT why isn't it saved yet!?" emotion being spurred in a gamer's head.

It's a great example, though, of that complex arcade game that grabs you by the collar and just might not let go. It's the arcade game you might've heard about from your buddy that they never got good at, but couldn't stop playing. If it doesn't grab you at first, that's OK... it's just odd enough to keep you playing just a little bit longer. Have you heard of "one more game syndrome"? You will.

As far as the aesthetics go, it's pretty enough, if you like basic polygons and vector graphics. The look is definately old-school with a modern touch, which does the job beautifully, giving credit to the games that came before (the bomb/ship keeps reminding me of the ship in Asteroids and the enemies , though basic, keep making me think of Tempest, and it plays really nothing like either game). The soundtrack is badass, which is to be expected from the same company that made Lumines and the man behind Rez. So, the big question...

Should you buy this game?

If you're a puzzle whore, yes. A whole-hearted yes. If you have a thing for those arcade games that were difficult to master but kept you coming back for more, yes. If you have a thing for odd, niche games, then definately yes.

If you're a common gamer, then it's up in the air. I think it's a good game, and work playing at least once, just to see what the fuss is about (from my end, anyway). But if you don't think you'll be spending copious amounts of time with your PSP, maybe this one shouldn't go your way. It's not as addicting as Lumines, but in the end... it just might be up that way.

Gunpey (PSP)

2006-11-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

Today brings a review of a game I've honestly been looking forward to since I knew it was being released for the PSP. This title started out as a launch title for the WonderSwan in Japan, and it was named, in honor, after the late (and great) creator of the Game Boy, WonderSwan, Game & Watch series AND the Virtual Boy (but we can forgive him for how the VB turned out, right?). It's a simple game, and it's called...

Gunpey (Sony PSP, released 10/31/06, Bandai/Namco Games, rated E-10+)

Gunpey is a simple, straight-forward puzzle game that I do believe has been seen before in the US, but not often on major systems. Before I get into the interview, just a little backstory...

The reason why I was so interested in this title was because of my odd desire to own a WonderSwan. I saw screenshots in EGM, and I would constantly drool, having absolutely no idea how to go about getting anything imported, let alone my desire. I saw shots of a quirky puzzle game named Gunpey, and it made me happy; just seeing the black-and-white pictures, for some reason, made me happy.

That little bit of backstory (I don't know why I added it, but what the hell, right?) leads me to today, where I'm pleased to be playing a game I thought I'd never get to play. And no, I don't count emulators, that's just cheatin'.

Gunpey is basically about connecting lines from one side of the grid to another as fast as possible, and connecting as many lines to one attachment to gain a bigger and better bonus. Sound simple? It is. But the pieces come from the bottom and scroll up, and they come faster, and in random combinations, so you beter pay attention to just how high each piece is, otherwise your game will end faster than Yosemite Sam falls off the cliff chasing Bugs Bunny.

You know, without the accordion effect on impact.

The presentation, while so simple, is laid out very similar (note: copied in style from) to the incredible PSP puzzler Lumines, with background skins abound and strong techno bets for each level of play. The only thing is... it doesn't really fit. Some of the skins are cool and all, but the music is very unremarkable as a whole and doesn't give a real sense of urgency, or... yeah. The music won't keep interest for very long.

The gameplay itself is frantic, but sadly, it feels like a lot of repitition. With Gunpey basically competing with Lumines for the "best PSP puzzle game" title, it can't stand up; Gunpey features a basic strategy for making the best of the pieces a player if given, while Lumines is so expansive in what you can do what with you're given. In some ways, t's a bit like comparing non-alcoholic beer with a bottle of fine wine: if might still taste good, but you know there's something better down the line. It's not that Gunpey has bad controls, it really doesn't... they're responsive and easy to handle, but it just doesn't bring anything new.

Wow. I started this as a happy, positive review, and it's just started to spiral out of control. Crap.

Gunpey is a puzzle gamer's delight, but it's not anything that'll convert those that haven't played a puzzler before. Tetris might do it; Lumines can do it...

but Gunpey?

Sadly, nope.

But for a little bit, it's still fun. Pop the tab and guzzle that, have a drink on me, and pick this up if you're a fanatic for a good puzzle. If you're not, then don't bother. It's nothing you'd hear about from any gamer buddies.

I seem to have lost this web space.

2006-11-03T23:51:00.000-08:00

Lost it over the passage of the past few months. I've been busy, working at a job that I don't really hate, but that has been... long. Long hours, not much pay, but at least I'm employed. And, a perk, I've been able to not only buy a new system (the Sony PSP) but games for it! So I have a new game to review here, as well as a slightly more aged game to rant and rave about. I can guarentee that both of these are unique, and quite possibly two games you've yet to hear much (if ANYthing) about.

First, the older one.

Exit (PSP, developed by Taito and released by Ubisoft, released in 2006, rated E for everyone)

Exit... what can I say about thee? Exit is an interesting title, it's not really an action game, it's not strictly a puzzle game, but a hybrid of both. The player takes control of Exit, a "freelance" escape expert that seems to constantly be in the right place at the wrong time, in burning buildings and blocked-off passageways, the goal being to save everyone trapped within. The survivors, which range from nearly-as-capable-as-Exit adults, to fat grown-ups, to tiny kids, each have abilities that can be utilized by Exit as he works through each stage to help out in the escape effort. With a hundred initial levels, and a hundred more available via download, it's ag ame that if you really get into you'll be hooked.

Honestly, it's fun, albeit quite slow paced. A lot of time is spent figuring out each puzzle situation, as it should be, but what I really mean by slow is that Exit doesn't run by default. That might sound a bit odd, but it's true; Exit can't run without being prompted. And when he does, as you push the buttons, he has a tendency to run too far, or off of things, and it can get to be a bit frustrating. It might be a small annoyance to some, but it's a noticable one.

The look, however, is very striking. The sharp-cornered comic book style is very very cool, and flows exceptionally well. The animation is fluid, no slowdown, the environments are very nice and detailed... the music is bland and unremarkable (I haven't played the game for maybe a day or two, and I honestly can't remember any of the tunes, no matter how hard I try), but it's alright, it gives enough intensity to get through each stage.

It's also a budget title, at twenty bucks it's worth taking a look at. It's not the best game ever made, but really... what is? Everyone has a different idea as to how to answer that question. This game's just meant to be fun and interesting, and in that, it does the trick.

And now for the brand-spankin'-new title:

WTF: work time fun (PSP, published by D3Publisher, 2006, rated T for teen for some blood, gore, violence and language)

And yes, the works "work time fun" are meant to be lower case. Just to make sure ya know.

WTF, if you've ever played games like Incredible Crisis for the original Playstation console or WarioWare: Mega Microgame$ for the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, then you have some idea what to expect here. The basic premise is to play a grouping of mini-games to earn money, which in turn unlocks more games and, interestingly enough, different tools meant to help a player along when they're out and about with their PSP. But first thing's first.

The mini-games are hit-and-miss when it comes to a fun factor. A few are a lot of fun, like a game where you're given seven minutes to collect as many protesters as possible (without getting caught by roaming police officers); some are like classic arcade games like Lunar Lander, dropping pollon on a certain spot to earn some coin; and some are simply boring as hell, like a "game" that involves properly putting the cap on a pen as a worker might on the factory line. But overall it's a level of occasionally-fun monotony. The only way to unlock new games is through vending machines, which is an interesting... gimmick.

What's interesting about this game is the unlockable tools. Some of them are corny like the light... which is basically all it is. It's a singe color on the screen at any given time, and it IS pretty bright... but some of the other tools, like "King of the Castle" (which is basically a dare game to play with friends) are amusing. There are a good lot of the tools, the rest of which I can let you figure out for yourself. Some are cool, some are rehashes of what you might have had access to on a handheld organizer (just a small clue), and some... are like the light.

Overall, I dunno if the sticker price matches the content. Sure, you can collect stuff from the vending machines, but they're just not very interesting. And while a few of the games are amusing (there's one galled Lumberjack where you have to cut wood and only get a second or less to push the button, and you're NOT supposed to cut in half any poor woodland creatures) it just isn't worth paying full price for. Maybe a sale price, but I can't recommend the sticker.

I'll try to update more often with games I've picked up that are interesting (or just flat-out bad), though I'm not committing to a set schedule. Just keep checking back, I'll try to get summore reviews up. :-)

Official US Playstation Magazine Demo, August 2006

2006-08-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, I DO get the DVDs with the magazines! So sorry this one is late, but here it is, reviews for the demos in the August Issue of Official US Playstation Magazine!

Only two new ones, one of which is movie only, the other a demo, on this particular disc, so first up, let's check out the movie for...

Disgaea 2 (rated T)
"The SRPG that turned gamers into insomniacs..." Now THAT'S a bold statement to make about a game, and espcially an SRPG... wait, not really, strategy RPG players tend to play for hours and hours on a game ANYway. It looks to be more of the same, with a few new elements thrown in like "stacking" (placing players on top of each other for a multiple-hit combo attack) and the ability to throw a character to another space (within a certain distance of yourself of course). Also, doesn't look like there's any actual anime-animations, just stills when characters are advancing the plot. Kinda lame if you ask me; I'd really like to see some anime (especially since there IS a Disgaea anime in Japan).

And here's our demo of the disc,
Yakuza (rated M)
I honestly still find myself awed at the idea of a Sega game on a non-Sega console, even if it's been a few years since the trend started up. I played through Yakuza, expecting maybe to try out a drug deal or some other kind of "gang" thing, but instead I found a casino, a battling cage (I don't know, maybe to practice for beating people up?) and the battle system (where, indeed, I beat people up). The battle system felt a bit like the game Fighting Force for the PS1, just a button-mashing fest where the only real strategy is "who do I swing at next." It's extremely easy to get caught with a punch, the kick takes a bit of time to actually connect with (and it leaves you WIDE open when you miss... which you probably will), the only thing kind of interesting is the throwing. One button is punching, one is kicking, and one has you taking the collar of a baddie and chucking him over your shoulder. The bigger they are, the more and the faster you have to push the button to get them over, which is a nice touch as opposed to the rule of "everybody weighs the same." But overall, I didn't see anything to get really excited about in this game. Maybe the batting cages. That was kinda fun.

There are other, "Classic" demos on here (the list is Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Killzone, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, God Of War, Lego Star Wars, and Sly 3: Honor Among Theives), but overall... a little disappointing. The video of the auditions for sending someone to E3 was a fun watch though... nothing better than watching gamers make complete fools out of themselves. But some of them DID get to go to E3...

Maybe the September issue has some good stuff in it, a good demo or two... Lego Star Wars II!?

Classic Gaming Expo

2006-08-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

So sadly, this year there will be no Classic Gaming Expo to attend. It's a shame, but I understand why the organizers aren't putting everything together; it's a huge task to create not only a show for anyone, but with the things people have had to go through in the past year there was no way to give the show what it really deserves.

But that's OK. Because there will be a Classic Gaming Expo NEXT year. And I will be there... I've yet to miss one since 2001.

For the uninitiated, Classic Gaming Expo, or CGE, is a show put on by a small handful of devoted individuals who get together great vendors for the show floor, ask around and get as many individuals from the days of early game consoles and companies (guests in the past have included Ralph Baer, Nolan Bushnell, Bill Kunkel, Al Alcorn and David Crane, among others), even asking collectors to contribute to the gaming museum that's pieced together cart by cart, generation by generation, oddity by oddity. There's live music playing on the show floor from video game inspired bands, and even an auction where gaming valuables from years past have been sold off, the proceeds of which have been dedicated to charity.

What I've found to be the biggest event of CGE isn't what is hosted, but who is hosted, and not even the celebrities of the culture at their keynote speeches. It's a ground where you can literally strike up a conversation with just about anyone about just about anything. I've sat in the keynote rooms and had great (sometimes quite short, but still great) conversations with someone I've never seen before, wearing a t-shirt from a game I might not even know. And if you watching gaming television shows (like Attack of the Show! on the G4 network) or read gaming publications, you just might be able to spot and swap a few words with some of the talent (two years ago at the auction I sat in front of the head editor of Game Informer Andy McNamara, and last year I spotted and took a picture of the movie release guy from AotS!, who was watching the band perform as I worked at their booth).

The best experience, however, is being able to meet people that you've only swapped messages with online. People have come from all over the country (and all over the world) to visit CGE, representing England, Mexico, Australia and Japan to name a few (and a lot of time they bring stuff with them; there was a group from Japan last year who brought FamiCom and Super Fami games to sell, as well as systems and random toys and trinkets). Those people that you share your love of the hobby with just might visit the show, and you'll have the opportunity to talk face to face, shake their hand, and who knows, play or trade a game or two.

CGE will be coming back in 2007 for a big 10th anniversary show, and should be the biggest and best show yet. The devoted classic gamers will come out in droves, will bring their wallets, their memories and their geeky t-shirts (I know, because I'll be wearing mine) to experience their childhoods all over again... and who knows, maybe a few new classic memories will be made.

(Check out the web site for updates, www.CGExpo.com )

Playstation Memories

2006-06-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

So I've recently been playing my PS1 and 2, trying to recapture some of the feelings that I had back when I first got the both of them. My PS2 I bought myself, only maybe two years ago... took me a bit to really get into anything for it. When I first bought it, I was mostly playing my PS1 games on it (lucky for me my range of games were all able to play on it with no issues), and didn't care much about new titles. What did I really have to look forward to? I wasn't able to really engross myself into the brand-spankin'-new stuff, especially since I wasn't ready to plunk down fifty bucks on a game I didn't feel like playing.

My PS1 however, particularly in the later years, I thoroughly enjoyed. Games were cheap, interesting titles, some of them simple yet incredibly addictive, and they, for a while, were EVERYWHERE. The A1 series of games were ten bucks a pop, and some were pretty damn decent (Billiards is slow, but plays a lot like Side-Pocket for the Famicom, and Top Shop is a Monopoly-esque board game that sucks more hours than Titanic did with 13-year-old girls back in the day), and all of the awesome games that had cost $30 or more when they debuted were down to more easily affordable prices.

Maybe I'm cheap, but picking up both Final Fantasy VII and Tactics for about $25 combined was a beautiful thing. Even if I hated FFVII.

Nowadays, I'm still plugging in PS1 titles, but I have a stable of PS2 games that I thoroughly can enjoy. Most of them are classic in obvious appearance and playability; R-Type Final, Gradius V, the Atari and Taito compilations to name a few. Some of the newer stuff, like Kingdom Hearts and the updated G&G game Maximo, I've found myself mouth-agape while playing, but for the most part my collection is more old-school styled with a new-school edge.

The reason I bring this up isn't just to vent about how I like older games more than newer programs, but that it seems classic games might just be making a comeback. The simple days might still be more complex, but there's plenty of classic flavor about them. The handheld market is a great example of this revival with titles like Lemmings and New Ghouls & Ghosts on the PSP, along with New Super Mario Brothers and the upcoming remake of Final Fantasy III.

Remakes, rehashes, collections, re-releases... they're all making their way back. And that makes me very happy to see... especially since, the second time around, they're usually cheap enough for me to enjoy them.

Sometimes again, for the first time.

The "new" PS3 Controller

2006-06-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

So the Nintendo Wii has gotten a lot of attention for its controller (along with a few other juicy tidbits), but a lot of people might not remember that at E3 Sony debuted their main controller for the Playstation 3 (which is an annoying name if you ask me, come up with something original! Playstation Next, PS-Q, SOMETHING to make it more interesting!). And Sony is hoping the public will really go for it, as there's a two-page spread on it in the July edition of the US Official PS Mag.

The big new innovation? A motion sensor.

Yes. That's it.

The... Dual Shock 3 (what else can we call it?) has built-in a sensor that can control the action on the screen by how you tilt it. It's wired so that you can move it like the stereotypical gamer you are (tilting it to the left because your character isn't moving fast enough, for example, as you scream at the picture on the screen) instead of the standard duel sticks for movement (though those are still ever-present). So far to my knowledge, this new feature to the PS pad has only been shown working with one demo, which is directing a fighter plane around a detailed environment. I don't know how else this feature will be utilized, to be perfectly honest; will it help your little on-screen avatar move faster if you need them to? Will you have to bounce it up and down to dribble in some future NBA title? Will you have to fake-throw the controller for a Madden game?

But for now, let's take a look at the innovations over time with the Playstation controller.

-First, the original controller. Taking a cue from the SNES pad, with a diamond-styled four-button layout, Start and Select buttons, the directional pad and two shoulder buttons, Sony added two more shoulder keys (L-2 and R-2) and gave handles to hold on to.

-Later on the pad just wasn't cutting it anymore. In comes a new feature: the directional sticks. They only needed to add one, but the fine folks at Sony KNEW that two fo them there sticks would be even better... it opened a level that many console gamers had suffered through with their solitary pad: the first-person shooter. All of a sudden, players could control strafing AND direction without problem, and could shoot and change weapons with ease. A damn-good innovation. It also came with a rumble feature, which was used mostly to make the player feel when they were hit (though also used during cut-scenes).

-The Dual Shock 2 came with the PS2, with pressure-sensitive buttons to open up a new level to the gameplay. Some games were based entirely around this new feature (the best example of which is Mad Maestro), while others seems to not bother with it at all (Kingdom Hearts) and it never affected gameplay.

So that's a brief history, but it's something to think about. Some good innovations, some seem to fall under the radar mostly, and some... well, some just don't really impress so much.

Especially when it looks like they're just ripping an idea out of the Nintendo playbook. Again.

Official US Playstation Magazine Demo, July 2006

2006-06-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

I just started getting this magazine, so I thought I might cover the games that are on the disc that it comes with. Let's see if I can keep this up. And I'll play ALL of them, even if they're not really my genre of choice, just to try to be as objective as possible. Even if they're not the finished product, still have to heckle it if it sucks, right?

Ahh, the beauty of technology. :-D

First up,
Cars (rated E)
Took a pretty long time to load... took a while to load TWICE (after the opening credits it started to load heavy AGAIN)... then the race started. I guess they didn't even want to give a choosing screen, you only get the one character to choose from, the one track. And then it's over. One important thing to note is, despite this being a "kiddie" game, EVERY car on the track is faster than you are. You're the race car, you're slower than the tow truck. And every time you use the boost (which is refillable) or tap another car, you hear the same soundbites over and over again. Bor-ing. But at least the environments and the cars were pretty.

Next comes
Urban Chaos: Riot Response (rated M)
MUCH quicker load time than Cars had. It's ugly, and the controls are a little frustrating (they're a bit on the slow side), but the voice acting is pretty decent, and the environments are fitting. It needs some touch-ups graphically (it looks like it could run on an N64, maybe it'd be REALLY pretty on a PS1), and a bit faster with the controls, but otherwise not too bad.

Follow that is
Pac-Man World Rally (rated E)
Not too bad of load times, and I LOVE the music (all of it is remixed tunes from the original Pac-Man, including making new songs out of the sounds made during the game!), but I'm glad I have this as a demo and not the full game; it's just too easy. I'm not that great at kart racers, but at the medium level it was just WAY too easy to come from behind (if you're ever behind) and win. I came from fourth place about halfway into the last lap, and I STILL won without any trouble. The graphics are nice, and it's easy to pick up and play, but it's in one way completely opposite from Cars: You're faster than ANYTHING ELSE on the track.

And after that we have
Medal of Honor: Frontline (rated T)
The controls are just... slow. The bad guys only reacted one shot at a time (which is frustrating, because you can hit them, they'll react, be fine, and then 3 seconds later you can shoot them again), the graphics are VERY blah, the game feels slow when it's supposed to be a fast-paced environment... if this one isn't cleaned up at all, avoid it. It's just not worth playing.

The rest of the disc has "demo classics," so those are the only new games on it I guess. Kind of slim-pickin's for good stuff. There are a bunch of videos too, but I want to let you know about newer stuff, so I'll tell ya the demos. With this batch of three new ones... could be better. MUCH better. Though Pac-Man World Rally was fun, so that's my pick of the bunch.

Enjoy.

Gaming OCD

2006-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

It seems I have a touch of gaming OCD.

Might sound crazy to some degree, but I actually have a few lists that I've been working on, although intermittently; one list is a list of every RPG that's ever been made (more out of curiosity than anything else, I'm not even that big of an RPG player!), and the other is a list of every game that I've ever played.

Ever.

It's at the moment 701 games strong, and I've got a lot more to do. This includes any game I've spent more than two minutes playing, basically, but the play has to come from an actual copy of the game. So demos and emulation doesn't count. I might start a new list, come to think of it, that would include all of the emulated games... but that just might get too long and/or messy in the long run. The big list counts foreign titles, PC games and arcade games along with those played on gaming platforms. It covers all bases.

I challenge anybody to really dig through their brain and try something like this, just to see how far you've gone. I have played games for systems I've never owned, games for systems I'll probably never own, games that I might never WANT to buy (let alone play again), the whole thing goes on and on. I own over 740 different titles, and I haven't even counted all of them yet! That might be because I'm going from memory most of the time and not digging through my lists, trying to find everything I've ever played from the bowels of my brain.

That's my main project, then the RPG thing (including title, platform, RPG-style, rarity and number of discs or whatever).

I've done one other gaming project, one that I didn't think anyone else would actually want to do: I catalogued and played every different game for the small LCD handheld known as the Dragon Boy. All of the names, all of the actual games, are described in a straight-forward document, and a few of the higher functions of the system. It was a pain in the ass, but I am the "#1 Dragon Boy Fan in the WORLD" as declared by not only myself, but of some of the members of Digital Press. So that makes it true, right?

Generation Gap

2006-06-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

So I've been a gamer for over 17 years, and it's been a little while since I've really been excited, at all, with a new generation. The last one was when I was all gung-ho about the Sega Saturn (and subsequently anti-Playstation... until I got one for a birthday, and I can't say I didn't appreciate it), looking forward to everything it had to offer me. As it turned out, my PS-X took over my gaming life, and I was constantly buying new games for it. I just couldn't get enough.

My Saturn (which I bought LATER, BTW) is now sitting in a box, collecting dust, while my PS2 is playing all of my PS1 games.

The 32/64-bit generation and earlier I fully enjoyed, and I was thrilled for new games and systems. I love ALL of my Genesis systems (I have one of each model), my SNES is still alive after all of the hours I've put into it, and while I'm on my third NES I'm still playing (with a few FamiCom titles thrown in there too, though I never owned a Master System or TG-16). But I just haven't felt that same surge of game-related love for the current gen.

I have all three of the major systems of the current generation, the XBox, Gamecube and PS2, but I never really was driven during it, and I think I know why. The games were getting mroe "realistic" (which I hated because I was trying to ESCAPE reality), they were a lot of rehashed ideas (GTA and all of its clones, over and over seemingly the same sports games, etc.), game developers in many cases were trying to leave the past completely behind (when all I wanted was some quirky, weird-lookin' characters to take me away to a dream-like world)... and the lack of what even felt like original ways to create great games and enthralling worlds.

Maybe it's just because I grew up in the generations I did, and I want to go back to Dreamland with Kirby, or the Mushroom Kingdom the way it was, or some other place that I'd never experienced. And though there are a few games that I've seen that have given me a little of that rush (Katamari Damacy and Guitaroo Man being two excellent examples) I just haven't felt the desire to load up on current-gen games.

Maybe the next generation will change all of that. The Revolution just might be coming, and won't Wii all be surprised.

(Yeah, bad way to slip that in, but I liked it.)

The Revolution/Wii just might be what I've been waiting for. As I watched the Nintendo press conferance when they debuted the controller's speaker and the demos of how the controller will be used, I was interested. The games, many of which looked simple enough (playing ping-pong by swinging the controller like a paddle, or weilding a virtual sword, even throwing out the lure for realistic fishing) were beautiful, and not just the aesthetics; they looked good in how the players were enjoying them, putting themselves into the game. I have to admit, it reminded me a LOT of those virtual-reality games that were five bucks a try at the mall (anyone remember those?) which I did enjoy... twice, maybe. I couldn't afford it more often than that.

The XBox looks too expensive for what I don't really want to play, and the PS3 hasn't "wowed" me yet with games (and discouraged me with a $500+ price tag), but the Wii... just might be about right.

Classic Systems: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

2006-06-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

There are many systems that a "good" gamer should know, and at the top of the list (beyond whatever the current generation holds) is the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES). The NES is easily the most popular of systems that are no longer supported; known by many names like "the old Nintendo" or "the first Nintendo" (both names which drive me crazy, as Nintendo is the name of the company and not the system itself) it is the platform that many gamers started out on.

Chances are, if you've played any video games before on an "old" system, the NES was it.

The system is gray, boxy, and loads like a toaster. No joke. You have to first open the little plastic flap and insert the cartridge into the port on the front of the machine, pushing it down to lock it into place before pushing the "on" button. The carts are very distinctive; square, gray (or one of the few golden carts), with a ridged area on the left side and the label on the right. If I had a picture, I know that a lot of you reading this who might not know off the top of your head what I'm talking about would respond with "Hey, I know that thing! I've seen that before!"

The NES started out in Japan as the FamiCom (short for Family Computer) back in 1983, when the Japanese video game market was in full swing. In the US, the market was doing just the opposite; Atari was losing millions, many game companies were closing shop, and no matter what was being released most American players experienced a lack of interest. (The legend is that the game E.T. for the Atari 2600 was responsible for "killing" the video game industry in the US due to its being so remarkably bad that no one wanted to play another game again. But remember, this is only a rumor; though certainly the game didn't help anything.)

Nintendo decided though, no matter the American market, to release their little console that could in the mid-1980s, and in doing so brought back the industry. Following it came the Sega Master System (precursor to the Sega Genesis) and the NEC TurboGrafx-16, starting the boom that the market has grown to today.

There are so many excellent games for the NES that it really pays to try out the system, the most beautiful thing being that most of the really great games for the system can be found for cheap. The original three Super Mario Brothers titles (all three of which have been re-released for handheld systems; the first SMB for the Game Boy Color, the other two for the Game Boy Advance and bundled with the original Super Mario Brothers for a double-pack) set the standard for the newer-age platform/side-scroller genre, Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy started the role-playing genre on televisions across the country, Tetris transferred from the handheld medium to bigger screens and became the game that all other puzzlers have to look up to... so many games, and I don't want to take up too much of your time.

This isn't the full story, of course; I don't have all of the facts, and I don't want to go on and on about every great game for the platform, so this is basically just an overview. There is plenty more information on this system in the Digital Press Classic Guide, as well as other books specializing in the history of gaming (Pheonix: The Rise And Fall of Video Games by Leonard Herman and The First Quarter by Steve Kent are two examples). For more on the history consult these resources, and hopefully I've gotten you off to a good start.

Games Every Gamer Should Know

2006-06-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is going back to the basics of video gaming in general. There are so many licenses that gamers should know, and I'll try to touch on as many as I can think of to help you out. For this first entry in this line, let's start with the top gaming icon that, at the height of its popularity, had the main character more recognizable in the US than Mickey Mouse.

The Mario Brothers series

The Mario Brothers are more familiar to gamers than members of those gamers actual families sometimes. Mario and Luigi have been around for over twenty years, and are still some of the most popular gaming icons that the world has ever known (and, arguably, the most popular plumbers EVER). There were many extremely popular games in the Super Mario Brothers series, and much debate over not only whether or not one title is the best of the bunch, but which game could be considered the best video game ever.

Mario, the first-born brother, actually made his debut in the game Donkey Kong starring alongside the giant ape that would make his own mark on arcade (and later, home console) gaming history. He wasn't named Mario at that point, he was Jumpman, trying to save his then-girlfriend Pauline (this was before he was transported to another dimention and kingdom) from the clutches of the hairy kidnapper. He wasn't even a plumber then, he was a carpenter.

When Nintendo found out that Donkey Kong was such a huge success, they decided to give the mustache-ed hero his own title, and not only that, but gave him some kin to help him out (and thus give the player the ability to play with a friend for another quarter or token). Named Mario after Nintendo's first warehouse landlord Mario Segali, he jumped into action with his brother Luigi (NO clue where Luigi came from, probably just sticking to the Italian name theme) to clean out the monsters that were let loose through open sewer pipes.

Then it seems that Mario and Luigi went down one of those sewer pipes themselves, and entered into the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. One of the greatest journeys that they (and Nintendo in tow) had ever been through. And they did it through Nintendo's world-wide famous toaster console, the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Dubbed Super Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi set off to save the Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom from the clutches of another large, angry animal: the dreaded King Koopa , the cold-blooded, evil reptile (later given the name Bowser. Did Nintendo listen to the band Shanana...?). In the game, the brothers could grow larger by eating mushrooms (no drug reference there...) and throw fireballs by grabbing hold of the magical Fire Flower. They even gained invincibility by catching a falling (and bouncing) star. They needed all of these tools to get past the bevy of enemies that stood in the path between them and the desperate princess.

The Mario Brothers were Super two more times on the NES (and found themselves dressed as racoons, frogs and tanooki by the time they were done, and finding out that Mario and Luigi weren't really twins as they appeared to be through Super Mario Brothers 2) before embarking on a brand new world on the NES's successor, the Super NES. Super Mario World expanded the universe of Mario to 16-bit glory, taught him new techniques (like running up walls and flying like Superman, cape and all), introduced the family of the evil King Koopa (who knew something that ugly would have children?), and introduced the world to the lovable, devoted dino Yoshi. The adventure was enormous, expanding on the advancement that Super Mario Brothers 3 had introduced: not only the option to pick your next stage, but the ability to play levels over again, looking for secret areas and even more levels. Super Mario World had taken the universe to the next level, and kept Nintendo in the forefront of the minds of gamers across the planet.

After a few little side-trips and experiments in other genres of games (like the racing title Super Mario Kart and the educational geography game Mario Is Missing! starring Luigi), Mario and the gang were back when Nintendo brought up their next platform: the Nintendo 64. And with it, there were only two launch titles, and only one that everyone was clamouring to see: Super Mario 64. The world of Mario was expanded even further, this time moving into the third-dimention, which was (for the most part) uncharted territory in the virtual world. With full 3-D movement and an absolutely huge world packed to the breaking point of enemies and traps, SM64 really started the movement of gaming into polygons and go-anywhere worlds, and thus putting Mario on the map as the top innovative force in the gaming world.

Since then, Mario has been spending most of his focus on other interests, even going on vacation in his latest 3-D adventure Super Mario Sunshine where he must not only save his girlfriend (not Pauline, now he's dating the princess, who now goes by the nickname Peach) but clear his own name by cleaning up the resort island Isle Delfino. He's been taking his time working on his baseball swing, putting game and his soccer skills in other titles, and has kept himself busy while apparently Peach has been safe (maybe they finally purchased a security system?).

The gaming world wouldn't be where it is today (and neither would I, since Super Mario Brothers was my first gaming experience) without the plumber. SMB brought gaming out of a virtual depression when the market was driven next to dead, and kept the thrill alive with every new incarnation. And that's why this series must be appreciated, and that's why it's been written here to teach every gamer, every potential gamer, just why it's an important license in the world of interactive entertainment.

Sonic X-Treme: The Lost Sonic Epic

2006-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the classic gaming board on Digital Press and found a thread about the never-released Sonic X-Treme. I'm a big fan of the Sonic series, so I clicked the link that one poster put up (http://www.lostlevels.org/200403/200403-xtreme.shtml) and read through the whole story, and watched the clips of gameplay action on YouTube. And it makes me want to play this thing... finally, something other than NiGHTS Into Dreams on the Saturn to really get excited about!

I was one of those people that gushed when he saw Sonic Adventure for the first time, mainly because when I bought my Dreamcast off an old friend (he was one of those players that sold off his gaming stuff to buy the next big thing, and he wanted a PS2) it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen done in a video game. The way the graphics were polished, how they flowed through the stages, how Sonic looked bigger and faster than I'd seen him before... I was blown away. And for the first time in a while, while I looked at the footage of X-Treme, I was amazed again, and saw just how Sonic Adventure might have been formed.

I don't know if that's how it really happened, but that's my guess from how the graphics look in my eye. Sonic X-Treme was never completely finished, right? And if you look at the style of graphics it looks to me like Adventure might have been formed in its ashes. Make something of the programming instead of just leaving all of it to degrade and dissolve.

Here's the footage I'm talking about, through YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search=sonic+xtreme&search_type=search_videos&search=Search

It looks beautiful to me, Sonic's original, meant-to-be Saturn, 32-bit debut. The sprite of Sonic looks sharp and smooth, and though maybe not as detailed as Adventure (obviously) shades of it lean to tell me this was some inspiration for the Dreamcast Sonic game.

Remember, this is all speculation, just my thoughts about the origins of decent 3D Sonic. If I'm wrong I'm wrong, and please tell me if I am (no one learns if they think they're always right). Any thoughts, comments?

Let's do this.

2006-05-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

I like blogs. That is all...

for now.